Remote experiments

Complete protein crystallography experiments can be carried out
from remote locations using remote access
applications. Users
wishing to collect data remotely should indicate this on their
beamtime request form.

Remote users have access to all experimental facilities, except
when they require on-site preparation.

New remote users who have never collected data at SSRL before
should get training
on the beamline control software and other users
facility, unless they can get assistance or instructions from other
experienced members of the group. Hands on training can be done at
SSRL. Training sessions can be arranged on a need to basis by
contacting user administration.

New users who are unable to get hands-on training session at
SSRL or at their home institution must schedule a remote training
session a few weeks or as soon as possible in advance of their
beamtime. It is advised to review this guide, and,
where relevant, the video
tutorials.

Determine the beamline contact person for your
experiment by consulting the support staff
schedule. Staff contact information
is available by clicking on the name of the support person in the
Support Staff list or by using the support staff web page.
Contact the assigned support person before the experiment to provide your
contact information during the experiment (preferably a cell phone).

Download and install the free NX client software as
explained in the remote Unix desktop
documentation
or the corresponding video tutorial. Verify that the NX client can be used to successfully access
the SMB computers before the experiment. The user passwords at SSRL expire every six months. If the authentication fails, contact staff so that your password can be reset.

Replace the liquid nitrogen in the loading dewar as soon as any ice forms.

Download an Excel spreadsheet
template
for the SSRL cassette or
the Unipuck. Fill out a separate spreadsheet for each cassette or
adapter (four pucks); see
the SAM documentation. Enter the cassette or
puck pin number (engraved in the top of the container) in the Excel file
ContainerID column for proper identification by the
user support staff.

Dewars should arrive at SSRL 1 working day in advance of
beam time; e.g., if the beamtime starts on Monday, the dewar
should be shipped so that it arrives on Friday the previous
week. Dewars are not delivered to SLAC during the weekend or on holidays!.

Use the ''Shipping Dewars to SSRL
form''. The tracking number must
be included in the form. Also, make sure that
you specify that you are doing a remote experiment by clicking on the
corresponding check box and fill up the requested information for
return of the dewar.

After submitting this form, a PDF file will be created that
includes your shipping labels and return shipping forms. Save this
file, print these forms, attach the shipping labels to each dewar
container and insert the return shipping forms inside each container.

Important: Staff will not be able to send your dewar back unless you
send the return form!

Remote experiments are scheduled to start at the normal time (3
PM). However, support staff may contact you to start earlier in the
day (as early as 11 AM). Please review the experiment policies that
apply to remote access beamtime.

Support staff will mount your cassette(s),
search and lock the experimental hutch, probe cassettes for jammed
pins and enable access to Blu-Ice.

Support staff will then contact you and inform you of the following:

Cassette locations (left, middle or right position) in the
dewar; you can then assign
the excel spreadsheet(s) to the correct location in the dewar from
the Sample Database or Blu-Ice as described in the SAM system
documentation.

Pin locations that might cause a port jam (when a real port
jam is detected during the probing, the corresponding
cassette port is automatically disabled).

The beamline can be monitored using the standard video feeds in Blu-Ice or Web-Ice.

When you finish your experiment, contact the beamline support
staff (use e-mail between 9 pm and 9 am); once staff have been
notified, they will put your cassette(s)
back into the shipping dewar, attach the return form (supplied by
you) and arrange for its shipment. Note that your dewar cannot be
shipped unless you provide a return shipping form.

If you wish to store your dewar at SSRL between
experiments, make sure that you inform the
user support person. It is important that you also notify the support
person for your next experiment, who may not be the same one as for
your current experiment, even if using the same beamline. Please
check the Support Schedule.

Note: At the moment users' sample containers may only be stored in the
dewar they were shipped, with accompanying paperwork. We are unable to
return the dewar and provide our own storage for the cassette or
Uni-Puck.

For questions or problems that develop during the
experiment, please consult the online documentation or the
FAQ before contacting support staff. Use the beamline cell
phones
or weekend phone to reach staff during call hours (see below), e-mail at any
other time.

Information about the beam status is available through
the SSRL Web
site. You can
also call the number (650) 926-BEAM (2326).

Support staff will be on call from 9 am to 9 pm.
If the system should stop for some reason after
9 pm, please send an e-mail to the assigned user support staff
and the problem will be addressed in the morning. If beam time should be lost,
additional time may be assigned at the end of the normally scheduled beam time (11 AM - 3 PM).

Currently the following are not supported:

Exchanging cassettes or Unipucks once the beamtime has
started. However, staff will exchange the sample containers if the
users receive more than one day (three shifts) of beamtime. In this
case case the exchange will usually take place between 11:00 and 15:00
Pacific time or other convenient time for staff.

The robot dewar holds up to three cassettes or Unipuck adaptors (holding 4 pucks
each), therefore up to three cassettes or 12 Unipucks
per day of beamtime are allowed. Additional containers may be stored at SSRL for
use on future beamtime.